DIY Heart Tote Bag

I have a confession. It might be possible that I am a bag hoarder. It’s true. Now because of this Valentine’s craft tutorial you can be a bag hoarder too. Who wouldn’t want this Easy DIY tote bag to carry the boxes and boxes of chocolates that suitors will be leaving for you on Valentine’s Day? But if you’re lacking chocolates (or got smart and swapped them out for Starbucks) then you could also let your children use this as their Valentine’s Bag for their candy and cards simply by writing them name in the heart with a permanent marker. It’s a great craft that’s perfect for a girls night out or a kids valentine’s craft done around the kitchen table.

Not to mention that I love these canvas tote bags. These in particular I bought at Hobby Lobby and paid $7 for a pack of 3 bags. Hello! How can you not love that? (Here’s a link to the same bags on Amazon.com) When we had two little girls in diapers at one time I used similar bags as simple diaper bags for church or anywhere that they would be split up but still need a diaper bag. It’s the perfect size and weight to use for children but also for the store or library.

I guess in my eyes this is the perfect craft because not only do I hoard bags but I also love pencils. Pens just leave ink all over your hands (or mine anyway) but pencils give you the freedom to erase and start over again. How can you not love pencils?

Making these bags are easy. To make one all you will need is one canvas tote bag, fabric paint ( I used the kind with glitter for extra oomph), a thick heart template – I cut a heart out of a cereal box, and a pencil with a new eraser. If you don’t have a pencil (GASP – the horror) you can use a Q-tip.

To start simply lay the heart in the middle of the tote bag. I actually secured it to the bag using two loops of washi tape on the backside of the heart but this is totally optional. I knew my kids would be at the table “helping” me so I did it to keep the heart from getting moved by precious little hands when I wasn’t looking.

Dip the eraser into to the paint and start on the edge of the heart, pressing the pencil eraser straight down on the tote bag. Continue making several prints with the eraser, going further away from the heart and pressing harder until you are out of paint. Repeat this step and go all the way around the heart.

To make it look the best I found that you need the thick paint dots closer to the heart and make it fade away. If too much paint build up forms on the edges of the eraser, simply wipe it off before continuing.

When you are done remove the heart template and you should have a heart shape with a straight edge.

Let your bag dry, which should not take long at all, and you are ready to go!

What do you think? Would this be a fun craft to make with a group of friends one night?

I absolutely love this and am planning on making these as welcome gift bags for my sister’s wedding. What kind of paint did you use? Are of my paint is water soluble, and I am worried that the paint will eventually run or fade if water gets on it. Did you seal the paint somehow afterwards? Thank you!!!

I used fabric paint mixed with some regular acrylic. You can use all fabric paint and it’ll work great. I just used what I had on hand so I mixed them. If you use fabric paint than you will not have to seal it.

I totally love this ides – maybe adding glitter paint also to get that sparkle… I was just wondering if the paint leaked through or did you need a piece of paper or something inside to stop it going through?

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